GRIGWARE INTERVIEWS

Friday, March 2, 2018

THOM BABBES'Actors Co-op credits include Summer and Smoke, Ah, Wilderness (Best Director/StageSceneLA), The Miracle Worker and Wait Until Dark. He has directed workshop productions of new works, Dietrich (based on Dietrich Bonhoeffer) by John Martins III, The Real Real Thing by Frank Higgins and Washington Irvine’s Sketchbook by Frank Higgins and Southhamton County (based on Nat Turner’s slave rebellion) which Mr. Babbes wrote. Other credits: Sun City by Jim Geoghan at Stella Adler Theater, Hollywood. A writer as well, Mr. Babbes recently adapted William Saroyan’s novel The Human Comedy for the stage. Screenplays include Deadly Dreams and Body Chemistry (Concorde New Horizons), The Audition - A Short Film (Co-Writer – Winner Best Screenplay & Best Comedy 2008 - 168 Hour Film Festival), X-treme Weekend - Short Film (Co-Writer, screened at multiple fests USA and Canada.) Insurrection (Samuelson Prods.), Bleeding Writing and Arithmetic (Kings Road Ent.), The Substutute (Apollo Pictures), Island of Lonely Men (Sotela Pictures).

When did you start directing plays? What was your first directing job, and what did you learn from that experience that serves or guides you today when you direct?

I started directing plays in the late 1990s when I joined Actor’s Co-op. They were mostly new plays done as a part of the Co-op Too series. I have worked with many directors over the years and I approach directing as a collaborative process with the actor. If you cast well, and you are clear about the themes and the story you want to tell, it usually comes together. I love actors and respect them. I hate when directors try to get a performance out of an actor using fear and humiliation. That is not my style. I try to create an atmosphere of freedom and creativity.

How did your directing A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS come about?

I have had a lot of success with my past Main Stage shows at Actors Co-op THE MIRACLE WORKER, WAIT UNTIL DARK, AH, WILDERNESS and SUMMER AND SMOKE. The Co-op called me about coming back and directing A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS. Originally I had to turn it down because I was directing another show at the time but they changed the date for AMFAS and it worked out in the end. Actors Co-op is my home and working there is such a pleasure for me. It is a great fit.

Tell us a bit about the play.

AMFAS is the story of Sir Thomas More — a man of great faith and conscience. When his faith comes into conflict with King Henry VIII, he chooses his faith and pays the ultimate price. Telling the story is the character of The Common Man - a character who is the opposite of More. The Common Man represents the worst in human nature. She is a character who is shrewd and opportunistic but at the same time a survivor at any cost. She says it best, "Better to be a live rat than a dead lion."

What makes A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS a notable play? What is about the play that might appeal to an audience in 2018?

This is a play that has stood the test of time. It was a huge hit in London, on Broadway and won the Academy Award for Best Film of 1966. It is a story of conscience and survival. I think this story is more reverent today in our post Christian world. In this secular society is there anything worth dying for? In this divided country, how far would you go to stand for an unpopular belief? Would you dare to lose it all because of your point of view? I believe being a person of faith is a very hard road especially in Los Angeles. This play explores that very issue. Although the play takes place in the 16th century, it it written for a modern audience. It is very accessible.

What do you want the audience to experience and/or take away to having seen the play?

I think I'd like them to experience a new way of looking at the world. I want them to truly consider their commitment to God, their conscience, and the people around them. How can we live together, respect each other and still have different views? Is it better to stand up for one's principles no matter what the cost? Or is it better to just survive and compromise?

Do you have future directing or writing projects that you are involved in, and if so, what are you working on?

Right now I am working on a new adaptation of William Saroyan’s THE HUMAN COMEDY. It is a project I’ve been involved with for many years and is finally beginning to take off. We did a fully produced workshop production at Village Christian School last November with a group of really talented student actors but now it’s time to get the first professional production mounted. I am also currently directing a production of PETER PAN.

Show Times and Tickets:March 2 – April 15, 2018. Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 pm, Sunday matinees at 2:30 pm. Additional Saturday Matinees: March 10 and March 17 at 2:30 pm. No Shows March 30 – April 1. Tickets: $30.00. Seniors (60+): $25.00. Students: $20.00. Group rates available for parties of 6 or more. To buy tickets or make reservations please visit www.ActorsCo-op.org or call (323) 462-8460. Actors Co-op David Schall Theatre, 1760 N. Gower St. 90028 (on the campus of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood) in Hollywood.

Thursday, February 15, 2018

Playwright
Phil Olson is best known for his popular, hilarious DON’T HUG ME musical plays
written with brother Paul Olson, that are crowd favorites wherever they are
performed.His comedy, A NICE FAMILY
GATHERING, played at Group Rep Lonny Chapman Theatre in 2016, has been
nominated for an NAACP LA Local Award for Best Ensemble.Phil shares with us some details about his
life as a writer and how “Don’t Hug Me, We’re Family” came about.

written
by Steve Peterson

When did
you start writing plays?Do you have any
favorites?

I wrote my
first play “Crappie Talk” in 1997. I was 40 years old. I got a late start. I
currently have 15 published plays, 9 of them are published by Samuel French.
It’s hard to say which play is my favorite. They’re like children to me. With
that, I have to say, “A Nice Family Gathering” is at the top of the list
because it’s such a personal story. It’s about my family, and because it has
played in 140 cities around the world, I’m thrilled that so many theatres have
embraced it. It’s also been optioned to be made into a movie which is very
flattering.

It’s been more than 20 years since you wrote “Crappie Talk”
with a storyline and characters that continued in your “Don’t Hug Me” series of
musicals.What generated the idea to go
back and turn the play into a musical?

I loved the
story in "Crappie Talk", and it had a nice run at the Group Rep Theatre playing
for 16 weeks. It was my first play, and even though it did very well
commercially and won a lot of awards, there were problems with it that I wanted to fix. I cut down the number of characters, cut down the number
of scenes, added 14 original songs (with my brother) and orchestrated 12 radio
jingles. Since the setting is the same as that in the "Don’t Hug Me" musicals,
the other changes came fairly easily.

What is the premise of "Don’t Hug Me, We’re Family"?

Set in a
little north woods Minnesota town, the host of a
radio show devoted entirely to ice fishing loses his only advertiser while his
wife, a popular host of a book show, has a lot of advertisers, putting the
competitive couple at odds. Their marital problems are compounded when
two, fish-out-of-water, Brooklyn Italians come to the rural Minnesota town, buy
the radio station, and turn everything upside down.It's "Fargo" meets "My Cousin Vinny" without the blood or the trial lawyers.

What do you want the audience to take away with them?

First, I want them to have a great time. It’s a fun, uplifting musical
that will hopefully bring a little cheer to the audience. There’s also an
emotional element to the story that’s personal to me that I hope has an impact
on the audience. And, of course, I’d like them to hum the songs as they drive
home, and then tell all their friends to go see it.

Is there anything you wished had been asked about you or about the play?

The story was inspired by journalist Charles Kuralt who, during his
travels around the country, bought a little radio station in Ely, Minnesota, up
near the Canadian border. I thought it would be funny if two New York outsiders
came to the little north woods Minnesota bar, bought the radio station and
collided with the locals. And yet, even though their cultures are very
different, they have a lot in common.

Don’t
Hug Me, We’re Family runs February 16 – March 25.Fridays at 8:00 p.m., Saturdays at 8
p.m.,& Sundays at 2:00 p.m.; $15 -
$24.Buy tickets:
donthugme.brownpapertickets.com or 818-850-9254.Don’t
Hug Me, We’re Family is a guest production at Theatre Unlimited (T.U. Studios), 10943 Camarillo
St. (just east of Vineland) North Hollywood.

Wednesday, February 7, 2018

The Road Theatre on
Magnolia is proud to present the West Coast premiere of Anna Ziegler’s exciting
A
Delicate Ship. The play opened officially Friday January 19 and runs
through March 11. Over the course of the run we will spotlight the director and
members of the cast. This week the light shines doubly on director Andre Barron and playwright
AnnaZiegler, as we present an
interview that Barron recently conducted with Miss Ziegler. Director Barron won
BWW LA 2016 ‘Best Direction” for Edward Albee’s “The Play About The Baby” at
The Road Theatre Company.

Andre:
The Road Theatre Company is excited to present the West Coast Premiere of “A
Delicate Ship.” What was your initial inspiration for writing the play?

Anna:
I remember wanting to write a play that took place in a single evening. I'd
never done that before. And I wanted the play to build to one major event.

Andre:
You really play with time and memory in this story. You appear to liquify the
past, present and future. What are your thoughts on that concept and what are
the challenges in it?

Anna:
These were definitely the challenges I set for myself.

Andre:
Your characters are very complex. There is an existential pain and questioning
in the hearts and minds of these early 30 year olds. What are they searching
for?

Anna:
As far as the setting goes, and the characters, I think I was in some ways
inspired by the building where my husband grew up. I didn't grow up in an
apartment building, and it always sounded so wonderful to me, the experience of
having some of your best friends so close at hand, these friends you
practically live with who become like siblings. It felt very romantic to me. So
I wanted to peek behind the curtain at one of those friendships.

Andre:
Sarah is such an interesting character. There appears to be such an interesting
arc in her character. She is faced with many difficult decisions moment by
moment throughout the story. With every win she appears to lose something along
the way.

Anna:
I would agree with your assessment.

Andre:
The character of Sam is such an anchor throughout the story. While Nate is the
storm at the center of the play. Two completely different men.

Anna:
Yes.

Andre:
You are having such a renaissance now in your career. Your play ACTUALLY at The
Geffen Playhouse was very successful resulting in several Ovation nominations
including Original Playwrighting and Best Play. I thank you for all your
support on our production and I will see you at The Ovations!

Anna:
Thank you. Yes. I will see you there!

Don’t miss A Delicate Ship! Reviewer Gil Kaan
had the following to say about the play on BWW: Barron smartly directs the action as a continuous build until...(no
spoiler alert here) a conclusion. As in Ziegler's other recent play ACTUALLY, all her characters
possess questionable, very human characteristics, very open to interpretation.

Wednesday, January 17, 2018

Larry Eisenberg is the winner of
this year’s BroadwayWorld Award for Best Director of a Local Play, Lost in
Yonkers, at Group Rep. He earned his MFA from CalArts, received a DramaLogue Award for the
world premiere adaptation of Isaac Bashevis Singer’s Stories for Children and
has directed numerous productions at GRT. His favorites include Lost in Yonkers, Poor of New
York, Trip to Bountiful, Over the River and Through the Woods and his original
play, Nautilus, which was later turned into a feature film. He currently serves
as one of the two Co-artistic Directors at The Group Rep. He is at present directing/rehearsing The
Chinese Wall set to open January 26.

Tell us about the background for the play.

The play takes place in the year 220bc, in the court of the first
Chinese Emperor, Tsin Zhe Huang Ti, called "The Son of Heaven, he who is
always in the right." He has just
completed construction of the Chinese Wall, "The Great Wall" that has
been designed and constructed to keep the barbarians of the steppes from
polluting and threatening the culture of China.
In order to celebrate his great achievement he has invited a huge array
of characters from literature and history to the Emperial Palace. Included are Romeo and Juliet, Napoleon
Bonaparte, Philip of Spain, Pontius Pilate, Christopher Columbus, Don Juan
Tenorio, Marcus Brutus, and the Ingenue of the Seine. Also invited, is an American Contemporary who
tries to explain to the Emperor that in a modern, nuclear age, the building of
walls is not only useless but very dangerous.

The Chinese Wall was written in 1946, essentially as an
anti-fascist play. It explores the
possibility that humanity was in danger of being completely eradicated by the
(then recently invented) atomic bomb. It
challenges long-held nationalist aspirations that we have seen recently take
hold here in America and elsewhere in the world.

It was revised in 1955 and translated into English in 1961. I performed in a college production of The Chinese Wall in 1965 and have been
aware of several productions at various LORT theatres throughout the years but
for the most part it has never received the same critical stature and longevity
of some of Frisch's other plays, which include his masterpiece, Biederman and the Firebugs.

Why did you choose it?

On the day Donald Trump was elected President of the United
States, The Chinese Wall immediately
jumped into my brain. The parallels are
obvious; an obsessive, megalomaniacal narcissist pandering to nativist
xenophobia, who thinks that shutting out, shutting down and shutting up whole
segments of the world's population is a reasonable method for securing a nation,
fits exactly the description of Max Frisch's Chinese Emperor. The play is a farce and it seems to be a
direct reflection of the farce that is unfolding today in Washington, D.C.

Theatre is an expressive art form and The Chinese Wall is the perfect vehicle for expressing our
revulsion of the current administration and a very precise lens for magnifying
and ridiculing those bozo's who currently lead our country. It is also a warning. When you have morons brandishing nuclear
buttons and using them to compare dicks, it provides endless entertainment and
chuckling around the water cooler but it is also a warning that we may very
well be on the brink of total
annihilation.

What is the play's
message?

You can't solve the problems of the 21st century using methods
that became obsolete in the third century A.D.

What challenges does it
require from you as director?

First there is the size of the production. There are over 40 speaking roles and 23
scenes. We had to come up with an
approach to manage the breadth and scope of the script. We've got it down to 20 actors playing
multiple roles and we decided to treat this as if it were a small theatre
company telling the story rather than trying to actually represent the Chinese
Court. Gender and ethnicity have been
completely ignored and our entire approach removes the fourth wall so there is
a great deal of interaction and direct communication with the audience.

When the play was originally mounted, nuclear proliferation was in
its infancy and all the conversations were fresh. Today the nuclear conversation seems a bit
dated and we've made a real effort to trim away some of the polemics. I've chosen to use multi-media as much as
possible, both as a method for moving the story and also to highlight the
current events that we want to inform our production. This show is as much about Donald Trump as it
is about the Chinese Emperor so we've decided to use current references
whenever possible. Fortunately, these
are being supplied on an almost daily basis by the current administration.

As I say, we've trimmed down quite a bit of the text and tell much
of this story using video and slides.
Setting up and programming three digital projectors to operate
simultaneously was very challenging but they have helped us keep things moving
and pare down what might otherwise be a three hour extravaganza into what I
hope will be an entertaining production that will come down in about an hour
and forty-five minutes.

How does it fit into the
mission for Group rep?

Lonny
Chapman famously said, "First to entertain, and then to illuminate the
human condition." Our patrons will
tell us if it's entertaining. Given the
chaos and constant consternation generated by the current occupant of the White
house, there is little doubt that The
Chinese Wall can "illuminate the human condition."

Monday, January 15, 2018

Pasadena
Playhouse, the State Theatre of California, reinvents its theatre to present
Gilbert and Sullivan’s Pirates of Penzance, as reimagined
by the Chicago theatre hooligans The Hypocrites. This wacky beach party – with flying beach
balls, rubber duckies, ukuleles, banjos, plastic swimming pools, and a tiki bar
– brings the audience on stage for a night they won’t forget. Pirates
of Penzance by Gilbert and Sullivan is presented
by Pasadena Playhousein association withThe
Hypocrites. It is adapted and directed by Sean Graney; co-adapted
by Kevin O’Donnell
and with music direction by Andra Velis Simon.

Cast member Dana Omar answers my questions below to put you in closer touch with the Hyprocrites company and their mission.

Tell us about the Hypocrites. How long they have been reinventing
shows?

The Hypocrites have been around for an awesome 21 years. They are
a company that is known for their offbeat and innovative adaptations of
anything from Shakespeare to Gilbert and Sullivan to Chekhov to you name it.
This company really has done an excellent job of paying homage to the original
pieces while bringing it into the 21stcentury. We have also had
success taking shows like “Pirates of Penzance” and “Our Town” from Chicago all
around this country. It is also a company that takes theatre to new
places it has never been before. A couple years back we did a twelve-hour adaptation
that Sean Graney wrote called "All Our Tragic" (that sold out), which
was an all-day event encompassing all 32 surviving Greek tragedies. It is a
great example of what The Hypocrites are capable of: taking theatre and
bringing it to a new and exciting level while making it accessible for all.

Are musicals a favorite?

You know, The Hypocrites actually don’t do a lot of musicals. Most
of the time it’s predominately plays. I know with this particular musical, Sean
(Graney) read the script and just fell in love with it and had a vision. And
thus, this particular wacky “Pirates” was born and we are all so thankful for
it and the joy it brings.

What will physically have to be altered at the Playhouse to
accommodate the changes in Pirates?

I’m not entirely sure since I have yet to see it, but I do know
there are accommodations being made to fit our promenade audience on stage with
us. And for those that have never been to a promenade show before, it’s when
the audience is onstage with the actors. They are like our eleventh cast member
every night which makes the show even more exciting. There are still seats that
are an option too if promenade is too risky or not physically possible for an
audience member. But I do highly recommend roaming on stage with us. There
really is no other theatre experience like it.

Why do they feel the need to turn a show upside down, into a wacky
production? Is it to make the younger people in the audience happier?

This show really is for all ages. And we’ve taken it enough places
to know that there is something in it for everyone. Sometimes, and this is just
by design, theatre can feel distant and less accessible. The seats are so far
from the actors and there is an inherent fourth wall. The way this show is set
up is so immersive that it makes theatre tangible for everyone. Since we
acknowledge the audience (really no choice but to since they are on stage with
us), there is an element of human connection that is really fulfilling and
gratifying for both parties no matter the age. It creates a mini community for
a short amount of time that is really joyous to be a part of.

Gilbert and Sullivan is unforgettable in its
musical style. I assume that the music is staying intact?

Well, yes and no… haha. The words (for the most part) and music
numbers are absolutely intact. We cut some songs and music to fit our truncated
version. The instruments we use are kind of all over the map with guitars and
string instruments being the base for most of the show. We incorporate typical
woodwind instruments but also have surprise moments with atypical instruments
like the musical saw. Like most of The Hypocrites productions, we pay homage to
the original piece but give it a new and fresh voice with our modern
sound.

Talk about audience interaction.

The promenade nature of the show gives an outlet for audience
participation. You have the choice to be physically a part of our show being
onstage with us or in the fixed seats but we acknowledge you regardless.
We always say “we won’t pretend that you aren’t here, so you shouldn’t pretend
you aren’t here either”. This whole show is one moving machine and honestly the
audience is the engine. The participation really takes the show and makes it
shine. There have been some incredible moments of our audience singing a-long
with us (which we highly recommend) that have been the most rewarding moments
of my career. There was one time in Boston where The Pirate King was singing “I
am the Pirate King” and there was a break where we insert a joke that the
audience was unaware of and so the music stopped for a moment. And the audience
had already started singing the next verse out loud as if they were in their
room singing alone. Unexpected things like that happen often and it only adds
to the magic of the show.

How
would you like to conclude?This
show continues to be a labor of love for all of us and we are so excited to
bring it to a new place.

The Hypocrites’ Pirates Of Penzance at Arizona Repertory Theatre. // Photo Courtesy of The Hypocrites

Pirates plays at the Pasadena Playhouse from January 23 to February 18. Tickets are now on sale at pasadenaplayhouse.org or by calling 626-356-7529.

Wednesday, January 3, 2018

Playwright
Bess Wohl whose Barcelona proved so controversial during its engagement at the
Geffen Playhouse in 2016 has a new play Small Mouth Sounds opening at the Broad
Stage in Santa Monica January 11. In our conversation Wohl discusses her play
in depth.

Tell us about Small Mouth Sounds and
what stimulated you to write the play. What is its message?

I was first inspired to
write Small Mouth Sounds when I went on a silent retreat with a close
friend. The retreat was her idea-- I had no idea what I was getting into, and
didn't even realize we were going to be in silence. I remember that by the very
first night, I was interested in writing about the experience. Something about
the obstacle of being in silence coupled with the intense need from all of the
retreat participants to find some kind of answer, felt like it could be fertile
ground. I hate to reduce a play to any one "message," but as I've
come to learn about the piece along with my collaborators and audiences, I am
discovering that the play seems to be about (in no particular order) the
difficulty and joy of human connection, the search for meaning or
"enlightenment," and the ways in which we do or do not change. Is
change impossible or inevitable? Or, somehow, weirdly both?

How do you feel audience will respond
to the silence? Will they be able to figure out all that is happening without
hearing words?

When I first began
sharing the piece with audience, I had no idea. Early workshops of the play
were very instrumental in teaching me how people watching the play would
interpret it. I would poll audience members afterward to find out what they had
understood, what was unclear, and where they felt the story was over-explained.
As the play has been performed more and more, it's been fascinating to watch
audiences engage with the detective work of watching the play. This is
definitely a play that demands some effort from audiences, and in many ways I
think what they take away from it is very personal, and directly related to
what they put in. I am interested in the way that, in silence, we all project
our own opinions, predictions and biases onto each other. It happens all the
time in life, and it happens when you watch plays. My hope is that the act of
watching the play and actively solving its mysteries is part of the pleasure of
experiencing it.

Barcelona was fascinating because from
moment to moment I did not know what would transpire. I feel the same intrigue
will be present in this play as well, maybe even more so.

I have always felt that
part of the fun of watching any play is the simple joy of not knowing what's
going to happen next. That sense of possibility and anticipation, and even in
some cases misdirecting the audience, is something I love to explore in my
writing. I try to think of every story-- no matter the genre-- as a mystery. I
like to try to create a sense of intrigue about human behavior, no matter how small.
Why do we the things we do? Will we overcome or succumb to our worst impulses?
There are mysteries everywhere in daily life, and I'm interested in leaning
into that feeling onstage. I think so much of the drama and tension of exciting
theatre can be reduced to a simple question: "What's going to
happen?"

Do you have a mentor playwright? Someone whose work has stimulated you to
create?

I come to playwriting
from an acting background, so most of my early teachers were acting teachers.
From acting I learned an inside-out approach to character that has helped me a
lot as a playwright. I tend to try to put myself in each role and imagine if I
could find a path through it as an actor, and that helps me find where the
holes in my writing are. In general, I am deeply inspired and stimulated by the
work of my peers and friends. Anytime I go to the theatre, it pushes me to
create and tell my own stories.

Tell us about the cast and director
and what special work they are bringing to the play.

I have been so lucky to
work on this piece with incredible collaborators-- actors, designers, Rachel
Chavkin, the director-- in every stage of development. Since the play has so
much silence in it, each collaborator has brought important elements of story
and texture throughout, and Rachel has been instrumental in shaping the rhythms
and flow of the events with her own impeccable sense of music and pace. The
current cast of the play is absolutely glorious in their ability to rigorously
maintain the essence of each character, and yet find little moments of personal
flair and interpretation. This play has no room to hide; there is no way for an
actor to coast on dialogue but be mentally or spiritually elsewhere. They have
to be fully invested or the play doesn't happen. Their deep commitment, great
skill and ability to be completely present with their full hearts and souls is
a beautiful thing.

Monday, December 4, 2017

Actor Jonah Platt is a young man of many talents that include acting, singing, writing and directing. He is currently preparing to play the Lythgoe Family Panto of Beauty and the Beast to open Decmeber 13 at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium.

Tell us about the role you are playing in the Panto of Beauty and the Beast.

I'm playing the Beast! He's the angry, hairy one.

How are rehearsals going? Have you ever
done Panto before?

We haven't started yet, but I'm excited to get going. I've never
done Panto before, but I've done a ton of improv so I'm excited to get to
interact with our terrific audiences.

What do you think makes Panto different and so special during
the holiday season?

It turned out better than we could've hoped! We sold out our
entire run at the Hollywood Fringe and were awarded a Fringe Encore (meaning,
we had been such a commercial and critical hit, that Fringe wanted us to do
more shows!) We ended up extending our run and doing a whole additional slew of
shows, all of which were also sold out. The playwright himself, Bert Royal,
came to see us and said it was one of the most "exquisite"
productions he'd ever seen.

Was this your first direction? Talk about your young cast and your challenges.

I've directed in various forms all kinds of things
throughout my life, most recently the musical improv show One Night Stand, in
which I also performed. We performed across the country and sold out multiple
Edinburgh Fringe Festivals. I absolutely loved working with my young actors on
Dog Sees God -- they were so talented and so passionate about the material and
bringing it to a wider audience. They trusted me a ton, which made my job a lot
easier. I'd say our greatest challenges were teaching these actors what's
expected of them at a truly professional level in terms of preparedness,
promptness, pitching in to help the company, etc. They all have so much
experience performing in schools and community theaters, all at a high level,
but most had never really taken part in a fully independent professional
production. But they all learned and grew immensely and I'm so proud of all of
them and the work we did! Several of our actors are up for local BroadwayWorld
Awards, and I myself was nominated for Best Director If you want to vote for
me, I'd love that!

I'll see what I can do! Tell us a bit about doing Bare.

Bare is a really special piece of material that means a lot to so
many people. Getting to be part of the Bare family, as "Jason" in the
Los Angeles revival, is such an honor. A lot of talented performers have been
through the Bare revolving door, and I'm just glad I got to bring Jason to life
in my own way, and to hopefully touch some people with the amazing story. Plus,
my Bare crew are still some of my closest LA theater friends - it's a very
special connection. It really opened up a whole new world of LA theater for me.

What is the role you've enjoyed the most? Why?

I have to go with 'Woof" in HAIR (at the Hollywood Bowl). It
was just the most special 10 days of my life. Doing a show that's all about The
Tribe, in the most intensive rehearsal period, with such an incredibly talented
group of performers, in front of my hometown and crowds of 18,000 people,
singing about letting the sun shine in and bringing to life this incredible
piece of theater that still resonates 40+ years after it's creation... it was
so liberating, so fulfilling. Plus, I met my now wife doing it! She was the
assistant choreographer and dance captain. She walked down the aisle at our
wedding to an arrangement I wrote of "I Believe in Love". How's that
for special!

That's special! Do you have a favorite show of all time (doesn't have to be one
you've done)?

It changes a lot! I'm pretty partial to Sunday in the Park with
George and West Side Story. More recently, I'm a big fan of Fun Home and of
course Dear Evan Hansen! As a composer/lyricist myself, it's hard to choose
just one favorite. There are elements I like from so many!

What about a favorite composer?

My ideal hybrid
composer would have the innovation and emotional storytelling of Stephen
Sondheim, the complex accessibility of Stephen Schwartz, the lush
unpredictability of Adam Guettel, the simple beauty of Richard Rogers, and the
contemporary groove of Jason Robert Brown.

That's a great answer. Is there a role you are yearning to play?

One word: Hedwig.

What's up next for you?

I'm going to be doing a concert or two in the first quarter of
2018, in Baltimore, New York and Los Angeles. Additionally, the musical I'm
co-writing, The Giver, will be having its second reading early in '18 as well.
But no acting gigs lined up yet...

For more information about what Jonah is up to/appearances/shenanigans,
follow him on Twitter & Instagram @JonahPlatt, and sign up for his mailing
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